Pan handling device



June 9 c. A. BElHL 2,840,413

PAN HANDLING DEVICE Filed Aug. 5, 1956 INVENTOR. Zfle'A Cf ,4. 554 /4.

TOZ/VEY The invention. relates to pan handlingtdevicesiand moreparticularly to van improved device designed as an aid .useful .to,housewives, cooks and chefs in handlingehot pans and cooking ,utensilswith safety and without danger of injury to the person.

.Many 'dish and pan handling devices have-been proposed heretofore :formoving hot plates andthe like; but all are-subject'to objections andshortcomingszobviated by the present invention. For example, prior =dishhandling instruments customarily make use of :a pair of-tonglike -.msm.r ut z n .an ua su t extending a u tth lower oppositerrims of anear-thenware plate in :a manner P ev nt th espa s p s ht p a e from stws t can 1of the tongs. Al t hough gihiS feature has certain ;desirableaspects useful in handling circular plates, it is entirely tu itab e inh n aw -c cu king and ak utensils having an outwardly projecting rim ora rolled bead typerim. Qther unsatisfactory aspects of prior ,de-

signs have :beendhe lack of effective means for drawing a :hot utensilfrom the rear ,of an oven to a convenient point at which it may begrasped by-the handling ,fdevice for transport to a work table; of atong arranged to I extend around the'laterally bulging sides of breadand the like leavened bakedgoods to engage the utensil rim at pointsunderlying the bulge; and of a handling device wh ch can be h ld i .o ehand While 'tthe thumb of h a i mp oyed selectively to ,openthe tongso'rihold them tigh y-cl sed, desire t I is erefore ,a primary object orthe invention to pros an mpr ved handling device regually suitabl orcooking and baking utensils as Well as for plates and other table ware.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a handling deviceespecially designed for the handling of hot utensils of either circularor non-circular configuration and featuring a plurality of sharpenedhooks arranged in pairs in a manner to engage the flanged or rolled rimsof utensils positively, thereby providing assurance against slippage ofthe utensil or hazard to the user.

Still another object is the provision of a hot receptacle handlingdevice adapted for manipulation by one hand and incorporating meansselectively engageable by the thumb for opening the tongs or holding thesame firmly closed against the receptacle being handled.

Another object is the provision of a hot receptacle handling devicehaving means for engaging the forward rim of an oven pan in pulling thesame forward to a position for convenient engagement by the liftingtongs.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be morefully set forth in the following specification and claims considered inconnection with the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the utensil handling deviceshowing the tong jaws closed toward one another for compact stowage;

Figure 2 is a perspective view with parts broken away l ate nted June24;, .1 9 58 showing the device in use to pulla pan from an oven; and

Fig re 3 is a per pective view ,show s h "h ndlin vi e appl ed t t e ppos de e t k napan- Referring to the drawing, the handling device of the pe en ent o ig e g n a y Q 9, compfi 's rigid handle shaft 111 havingahandgrip'12firrnly; anchored to one end. Supported at the opposite :endof handle 11 are two pairs of tong members respectively .designated 13and ,14, each being of the same general construction and ,t convenientlyformed ,from heavy-gauge st'ifi wire. Tong member 13 comprises apair 10fshowed arms 15, 15 preferably having their .upper ends 16 encirclinghandleflland rigidly secured thereto as :by Leiding 27. The lower endsof arms 15 are provided with upturned sharpened hooks 17 shaped toengagebehind the rim edges of the plate or. dish, as twell as withinlhe creaseformed between the side walls of.a.,pan and .its trolledrimin themannermade clear by Figure}, ,Rigidly fined between the lowerends ofarms 15in the vicinity of the bowed portion 18 is a cross brace 19. A.pair of bracing members 20 may also .be employed between the upper endsof armsIS andhandle llifdesired.

Tong member 14 ,is similar to tong member ,13, ,cornprising a pair ofoutwardly bowedarms 121,-:21 having their upper ends 22 encirclinghandle 11 closely beside ends 16 of tong ,member 13, hut dilferingttherefrom in being freely pivotable vabout :handle 11; The oppositeends .of arms 21 are provided with sharpened: hooks 23 therebetweenadjacent the bowedpor-tions 26*of the arms.

e is sn a '-.u n the d v c to t ra ma s i th rsa c w n r 1 h ea PO O JSe1a shs fisrp'rov sed s q e' tenant-1 rieh assl hock 8 r ly se u ed r ofhooks 17 and 23, hook 28 has a bias cut end 29 facilitating its positiveengagement beneath the forward rim of a pan as is illustrated in Figure2. It will be appreciated that, if desired, hook 28 may be engaged overthe upper rim of a pan from above and employed to pull the pan forwardby rotating the device one-half turn from the position shown in Figure2. This alternate mode of use is not practical if the pan beingmanipulated contains baked goods overlying the rim of the pan.

Preferably and as herein shown, hook 28 extends crosswise of tong member14 and is fixedly secured to both of arms 21 to provide a support 30 fora thumbpiece 31 formed by a curled end lying in a plane generallyperpendicular to handle 11 adjacent handgrip 12. Support 30 extendsacross and closely adjacent one side of handle 11 with the result thatthe latter provides a fulcrum about which thumbpiece 31 can be pivotedto hold the tongs closed. By shifting the thumb from one side to theother a of thumbpiece 31 it will be recognized that the user may applypressure to pivot tong member 14 either clockwise or counterclockwiseabout handle 11.

Operation Normally, tong members 13 and 14 of the described handlingdevice are collapsed against one another wherein they occupy a minimumof storage space. If the tongs are to be employed to lift a baking tinsuch as bread pan 35 having a rolled rim 36 encircling its upper rim,the operator grasps h'andgrip 12 in her right hand and places her thumbagainst the left 'side of thumbpiece 31 so that pressure applied by thethumb is efi ective to, pivot tong member 14 clockwise about handle 11toopenthe tongs 'away from one another'and permit lowering of the deviceoverthe opposite sides of a utensilsuch as bread pan 35., Thethumbpressure is then released permitting jthe, tongmembersto closeagainst the sides of thepan. Lifting of handle 11 horizontally thencauses the pointed ends of hooks Hand 23 to engage behind rolled rim 36of the pan so that it may be transported from one point to another.Owing to f'theoutwardly bowed shape of 2 arms 15, 15 and 21, 21, thepresence of an outwardly 'bulgingloaf .of breadin pan 35 does notinterfere with thejuse of the handling device to engage the rim of thepan. When used .with a receptacle having a rolled rim it will beapparent that the engagement of the bias-cut ends of hooks17 and 23serve to lock the tongs in assembled position so long as the handlingdevice is being used to apply a lifting force to the receptacle. .Inthese circumstances it is unnecessary to apply pressure to ,to liftreceptacles not having a rolled rim. For example, 1 to lift a hot platethe user employs device 10 as described above to engage hooked ends 17and 23 beneath the opposite rims of a'circular plate Before lifting theplate, however, the user shifts her thumb to the right-hand sideofthumbpiece' 31 and applies pressure in a counterclockwise directionabout handle 11, thereby pivoting tong member 14 toward fixed tongmember 13 to hold the same engaged against the rim of the plate, theplate being hold againstjmovementftransversely of the tong mem- 'bers bya portion of the rim lying between each pair of arms 15, and 21, 21. a

The manner of using the device to withdraw a baking pan from the rear ofan oven is illustrated in Figure 2, it

being understood that pressure is applied'to the right-hand side ofthumbpiece 31 to hold the tong members 13 and 14 collapsed against oneanother as device 10 is manipulated in a manner to engage hook 28 eitherbeneath or 4 over the rolled rim of the baking pan. As illustrated, hook28 is shown engaged beneath the forward rim of the pan so that it may bepulled toward the forward edge of the supporting shelf.

While the particular pan handling device herein shown and disclosedindetail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing theadvantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention andthat no limitations are intended to the details of construction ordesign herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A culinary receptacle-handling device adapted to be held andmanipulated by one hand comprising a rigid shaft having a handgrip fixedto one end thereof, a pair of tong jaws mounted along the opposite sidesof the other end of said shaft, each of said jaws including a pair ofarms bowed away from one anothertransversely of said shaft and havingreversely-bent hooked ends shaped to engage beneath the rolled rim of areceptacle with the hooks 'on one jaw facing toward the hooks on theother jaw, at least one of said jaws being pivotable about said shaft,the hooked ends of said jaws being cut on the bias to provide pointedends adapted to enter upwardly into the longitudinal crease between theside walls 'of a culinary receptacle and the rolled rirn thereof to locksaid jaws engaged with said rim while a lifting force is being appliedto the receptacle by said handling device and means secured to saidpivotable jaw and selectively manipulatable by the users thumb whilegrasping said handle to open and close said jaws toward and away fromone another, as desired.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including rigid hook meansprojecting generally at right angles to said shaft and positioned nearthe end thereof remote from said handgrip, said hook means being adaptedto engage the forward rim of a culinary receptacle so that the same canbe pulled toward the user by means of said device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS387,122 Thompson July 31, 1888 549,950 Zinser Nov. 19, 1895 583,063Martinie May 25, 1897 1,337,450 Graves Apr. 20, 1920 1,487,739 HarrisMar. 25, 1924 Grifiith Sept. 3, 1929

